A serious wildfire broke out in the federally managed Los Padres National Forest in central California on the 2nd. It has been burning for several days and has expanded rapidly. It has now engulfed more than 79,600 acres of land, surpassing the Los Angeles fire at the beginning of the year and becoming the largest fire in California so far this year.
The California Fire Department (Cal Fire) said that as of the morning of the 5th, only 10% of the wildfire named Madre Fire was under control, and about 50 buildings were threatened, but no casualties or property damage reports have been received for the time being.
Authorities have issued evacuation orders and closed highways to residential areas in San Luis Obispo County, about 100 miles north of Los Angeles. Neighboring Kern County also had varying degrees of evacuation operations.
The wildfire was caused near New Cuyama along Highway 166 in San Luis Obispo County on the afternoon of the 2nd. With the help of high temperature, dry air and strong wind, the fire area quickly spread to 53,000 acres in one day, and exceeded 70,000 acres on the 4th.
The Federal Department of Agriculture Forest Service warned at the beginning of the wildfire that given the current weather and terrain conditions, the fire would grow exponentially within 24 hours.
The Forest Service incident commander said that this wildfire was one of the most challenging fires this year. Due to the steep terrain and changeable wind direction, firefighting work has brought great difficulties.
The California Governor’s Office said that as the wildfire is spreading from federal land to state areas, the California Fire Department has deployed aircraft and crews and ground resources to assist the Federal Forest Service. California is also working with federal and local partners to unify the command to protect lives, property and communities.
The California Fire Department has launched a comprehensive response, dispatching 7 firefighting aircraft, 2 helicopters, multiple fire trucks and more than 600 firefighters.
The wildfire is more than 100 miles away from Los Angeles, but the smoke has approached the Los Angeles metropolitan area, including the Chinese area in the San Gabriel Valley.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) of California issued an emergency air quality alert on the 4th, reminding millions of residents in Southern California, especially those with sensitive constitutions, to take protective measures.
